On the morning of March 8, a sudden system failure disrupted the SAT exam, forcing many test-takers to stop their exams prematurely.

Tran Ha, a parent in Hanoi, whose child took the SAT at Banking Academy, reported that the system abruptly stopped 13 minutes before the scheduled end time. Meanwhile, some test rooms that started earlier were not affected.

“The proctors initially asked students to stay and wait for further instructions, but later told them to go home and wait for an official resolution via email,” she said.

At Hanoi University of Science and Technology, another parent, Thu Hang, shared that the system auto-submitted her child’s test 25 minutes early.

“My child was extremely disappointed because they were doing well. I hope College Board allows students to retake only the affected sections instead of the entire test, as each attempt brings tremendous psychological pressure,” she added.

College Board, the organization that administers the SAT, is currently investigating the issue and working on a solution for affected students.

Meanwhile, IIG Education, the official representative of College Board in Vietnam, confirmed that the issue was caused by a global system error. Test-takers who started before 11:00 AM were not affected, but those who began after 11:00 AM experienced disruptions.

The SAT exam, which includes Reading-Writing and Math sections, is a widely used standardized test for university admissions in the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and other countries. Several universities in Vietnam also accept SAT scores for admissions and direct entry programs.

Thuy Nga